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Margaritas


Happy Cinco de Mayo!  And what is the best recipe to make on Cinco de Mayo?  Margaritas, of course!  They really are not that hard to make from scratch.  Last summer we started making "homemade" margaritas because I had just bought a Magic Bullet at Costco and we couldn't believe how much better they tasted than the frozen mixes.  So, we ended up making them all summer long and they were so refreshing!  We ended up keeping a big bag of limes in our frig ready to go!  Then we started experimenting with different flavors like watermelon, strawberry, etc and they were equally delicious.  We had friends over for a Bar B Q one summer evening and I made watermelon margaritas with my new Magic Bullet.  We also had guacamole made with the Magic Bullet and whip cream for coffee drinks and cobbler for dessert.  The next morning, I got a message on my Facebook that my friend had gone straight out and bought a Magic Bullet the next day!   So, I think this is a good recipe for Cinco de Mayo!
Classic Frozen Margaritas
Makes 1 serving using a blender and increase the recipe depending how many you want to make.

 Makes 1 drink
(1 ounce is 1 shot glass)

1 cup ice

1-1/2 ounce tequila
1 ounce fresh lime juice
1 ounce triple sec or Cointreau
3 Tbsp. agave nectar
1.  Add ice to blender.
2.  Add the remaining ingredients.
3.  Blend until smooth and slushy.
So, why am I using agave nectar  (pronounced ah-GAH-vay) to sweetened them? Because in Mexico, agave nectar is known as "honey water." And it actually comes from the same plant of tequila so it makes sense to sweeten margaritas with it! There are over 100 species of the agave plant, agave nectar is most often produced from the Blue Agave that thrive in the volcanic soils of Southern Mexico. Agave are large, spiky plants that resemble cactus and yuccas, but they are actually succulents similar to the familiar Aloe Vera.


Due to the Blue Agave's high carbohydrate content (which is the result of a high percentage of fructose in the final syrup), Blue Agave is the preferred species for producing nectar.





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